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O’Ward Sets Thursday Pace as Indy 500 Practice Turns Toward Qualifying

Attention shifts to higher boost practice Friday ahead of four-lap qualifying.

Overview

  • Pato O’Ward led Thursday’s six-hour run at 227.308 mph as the field logged 1,469 clean laps.
  • Conor Daly, who surged Wednesday to 228.080 mph, and Alex Palou at 228.026 were the only drivers over 228 mph.
  • Alex Palou topped Tuesday at 225.937 mph after a long garage stop to address a rear-balance concern, and Kyle Kirkwood recorded the best no‑tow lap at 222.062.
  • Practice has been incident‑free across three days with 6,007 total laps, and cooler air plus drafting help have produced the biggest speeds.
  • Fast Friday brings extra turbo boost for qualifying simulations, and Palou approaches the weekend as both the defending Indy 500 winner and the current series points leader.